Unthinkable Alternate End 5B
by KatherineMP20
Summary: Katie -OC- is pregnant as a result from James raping her. She looks to James for support but he tells her that his career comes first and he wants nothing to do with the child. Will he change his mind or leave her to fend for herself?
1. Chapter 1

**_*AN* This will be a little longer than I planned just a word of warning. I have the ending all set but I'm just stuck on a little turn to get to the end. This story is rated M not for language but because i may use some inappropriate language as far as cultural stereotypes and name calling.*_**

It had been only a few weeks since the rape and although she was battered and abused, verbally and physically by one of her best friends, Katie felt fine. She was scared as it happened and then shock set in after it was over but after a few days in the hospital to treat her injuries she was fine. James had no recollection of the event whatsoever and seemed kind of nonchalant when told about it. He shrugged it off as if it was nothing.  
There was a rift between the band now as James' arrogance and the other guys' defense kept clashing. The entire thing was kept inside the network and never made media attention due to no charges being filed. However Katie did make a quick appearance in magazines and the news for her injuries but it was called out as just a rehearsal accident. Although there was no rehearsal that day for the show, the other network stars were filled in on the story to keep the story straight. They new nothing of what happened but figured the network had its reasons. Katie and the guys hung out a lot together, often just the 5 of them. It was probably just to keep ideas and rumors floating about regarding 1 girl hanging out with 4 guys.  
The tour ended and after a short vacation away from each other it was back to the lot to record the new season. There was peace among the group although James and Katie were distant. The peace didn't last long before they argued and got close to fighting, more so than they did ever before. This wasn't brotherly fighting, this was a all out war. Katie played it off as she was fine which she pretty much was, her injuries had healed and she still had no feeling towards the event and just felt neutral about the entire thing.  
They worked as a team in front of the camera but behind the scenes the constant fighting and distance drove staff nuts. They were constantly reprimanded and finally told to stay in their dressing rooms and away from each other when not on set. Katie had been in her room a lot since the rape and Carlos, Logan and Kendall were worried about her and made sure to keep an eye on her and include her in activities.  
In recent weeks she hadn't been quite herself and seemed a little off but with all the stress going on, who wouldn't be? They were behind schedule and had a long season this year. They had early mornings and ran late into the night. Many nights were spent in their dressing rooms to get as much sleep as possible.  
It was an early morning shoot one day and they got started right away. Around 11 they broke for lunch but Katie, who usually has a good appetite, barely touched her food. She ate a little something after Kendall forced her to eat by feeding her. She refused after a few bites after she felt nauseous. They returned to shooting and during a scene Katie ran off stage.  
The director was stunned but also pissed. The guys were confused and after a few minutes, when she didn't return Carlos tried to find her. He eventually checked the bathroom and after knocking, opened the door a little to call out to her but heard her throwing up instead. He ran back to set.  
"I don't know what's going on but she's throwing up a storm and it sounds really bad." he said. Logan and Kendall looked up as he spoke and took off towards the bathroom with several staff members in tow. Female members went in first to help and then male members. Kendall, Logan and Carlos made their way in without hesitation. She had stopped vomiting but was sitting on the floor, exhausted and light headed from the effort it took. No one was talking directly to her, rather with each other discussing what they should do.  
After a few minutes she was helped up off the floor and brought to her dressing room to lay down for a while. A staff member grabbed a medical kit and took her temperature which came out normal and then gave her an ice pack in case she needed it. Another fetched her some water and crackers before everyone was kicked out and went back to work. Staff checked in on her every so often and she eventually fell asleep for a few hours. When she woke up she was extremely tired and weak. She ached all over and didn't want to move. The ice pack and water were no longer cold and she felt like she was burning up. She felt worse than ever and although she didn't want to, forced herself up and out of her room. Kendall was in his room across the way, reading a magazine. He tossed it aside when he saw Katie.  
"Hey, how are you feeling?"  
"Like crap…my head hurts, I feel dizzy and I hurt all over…"  
"You should go to the hospital."  
"I don't want to."  
"It wasn't a suggestion, let's go." he said as he ducked back in to his room to grab his keys. He helped Katie to the car and drove her to the emergency room where they waited for almost an hour before being called. She was set up in a private room and Kendall sat in the chair beside the exam table, where they waited for several minutes before a nurse showed up to ask questions regarding registration at the hospital. After she left another nurse came in and began asking actual questions on Katie's current health. Kendall was in his own world listening to his ipod to give Katie privacy however he did hear the nurse ask if Katie was sexually active. He cringed at the though and his heart skipped a beat when she said yes in small voice.  
"When was the last encounter?"  
"About 2 months ago."  
"Ok. According to your chart, you are infertile, so we at least have a start. We'll get started on some tests and in the mean time just sit tight ok?" she smiled. Katie didn't respond and just sat back. More waiting ensued but time passed quickly as her and Kendall just talked about whatever came to mind. Kendall had the imagination of the group; he came up with all sort of things and often thought outside the box.  
An orderly interrupted them and wheeled Katie off to her first test, which was simple blood work. It took a while before they could actually get a decent sized sample from Katie that they could work with but after about 25 minutes they got what they needed and she was sent back to her room. The results came back within an hour and the doctor came in with a smile.  
"Well, we figured out the problem nice and early which helps save us the headache of doing numerous tests but you could have saved the time, trouble and not to mention, finances, by going to the drug store your self." he began as he wrote on the chart. He held it up to read and frowned slightly. Kendall and Katie stared at him in confusion at what he was talking about "Wait a minute, hmm…I wonder if this is right, we might have a mistake here, I apologize. Let me get a nurse to assist you." he said as he left, closing the door behind him. The doors had a huge pane of glass in them so they could see the doctor talking with a nurse and showing her the chart but they couldn't hear him. The nurse disappeared out of sight and Kendall and Katie looked at each other but before they could say a word the nurse came back in.  
"We need to double check the results but since you just gave blood, we cant have you give more so instead a urine sample will do." she said with a smile. Katie hung her hung in defeat she hated this. She took the cup from the nurse and the nurse left. Kendall was sitting in the chair pretending to be smiling at something on his ipod but Katie new better and threw her hat at him.  
"Hey!" he said  
"Laugh it up. It's easy for you to pee in a cup." she replied  
"Want me to do it for you?" he offered with a straight face.  
"Just shut up!" she said with a laugh. He smirked back and helped her up and she left for the bathroom next door. She came back in a few minutes and got settled back on the table. After another half hour the doctor came back in with a puzzled look on his face.  
"Well, we got the test results back and they are the same so somehow something isn't adding up right. In any case we know what is ailing you so we can fix that first and then worry about the rest. Your test results say that you are indeed fertile and you are pregnant." he said  
"What?" Kendall said in disbelief. Katie sat wide eyed in shock. "How did that happen?" he continued as he got up out of his chair. He quickly stopped himself "I know HOW it happened I mean…you know what I mean!"  
"Are you the father?"  
"No I'm not the father!"  
"Would you like a paternity test?"  
"NO!" Kendall continued "I'm not the father but I know who is. When I get through with him he'll wish he had never been born."  
"Kendall! Calm down.  
"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down? As a matter of fact how can you even be so calm! Your pregnant!" Kendall said  
"Way to let the world know…Someone has got to keep a level head around here and since you have gone off the deep end planning your revenge, it falls onto me." she retorted  
"So you're just going to let him get away with this? After how he's been treating all of us it wouldn't surprise me if he left you high and dry." he rebutted  
"Well the only way to find out for sure is to talk in a calm and adult manner not with pitchforks and torches." she said sternly. Kendall calmed down and sighed in frustration and defeat. As he rested his hands on his waist.  
"Fine. We'll do it your way." he said forced. Katie was released and they headed back to the studio, the entire way their phones constantly going off. They had received several text messages once they were outside where they could get a signal. No one knew they left but they figured they would just explain everything when they got there.


	2. Chapter 2

_***AN* Longer than the last, I'll keep them longer to lessen the chapters. I should finish this story up in one more chapter. I had a possible 2 way split when writing, just because I liked the dialogue I came up with. It was as suicide story and since I covered it in a previous one (although it was a smoldering suicide and not a direct one- i.e. sudden) I figured I'd skip it. I'm pretty sure this is the last alternate ending but who know I may come up with another. My last ending (5a) is, for now, in progress still, I havent decided if I am ending it where it is now or if I want to add more. It may stay like that for some time while I think it through so those who are/were subscribed, just a word of warning that it could be months before you see any changes. Keep looking on my AN's on my new stories/chapters for the latest or just check the story itself if it's switched to complete then you have your answer. **_

_**Also a side note, I made an account on FF's sister site FP. Same user name. I writing stories like it's my blog, (I have one of those that I havent updated in months). These will be actually stories though and not lined up like a blog. The stories are based on my life and events that have happened or what I think will happen. I can get quite creative so they do tend to get exaggerated. I dont have many up just yet but now that I have the time I will be writing a little bit more so enjoy.***_

The lot was quiet to say the least, the parking lot wasn't as full. When they went inside there weren't many people around so they just headed to their dressing rooms hoping to find one of the others but no such luck. They texted the other guys and got responses of relief. They were worried for them and were looking all over, they were on their way back for some answers.  
Staff found them first and they explained what happened, how Katie wasn't feeling good so Kendall took her to the ER. Katie was feeling fine now, although still a bit achy and not to mention nervous. They retreated to their dressing rooms when they were dismissed as staff waited for the others to get back; they had lost on several hours of filming and would probably pull a long night. Logan was the first to get back and him and Kendall went straight to work. Katie was in her room when James came back, he walked by but then doubled back to check in on her.  
"You feeling better?"  
"A bit, yes."  
"Good." he said before he started to walk away.  
"James." she called out without thinking she immediately wished she hadn't. He peeked back in at the sound of his name.  
"What's up?" he said, pulling the ear buds out of his ears.  
"I was hoping we could talk."  
"About what?" he asked walking in as he put his ipod away. Katie hesitated before she gained the courage to continue speaking.  
"I- I'm pregnant" she said shakily as she looked at him with a solemn face.  
"What?" he said softly in shock.  
"I'm pregnant. Kendall took me to the hospital because I felt like shit and the tests came back clear as day."  
"Oh my god…" James said as he put his head in his hands. He didn't remember the rape because he was so drunk but the proof was to hard to deny when he saw how battered Katie was. He was ashamed of himself to say the least but it was why he distanced himself from her and the others. He didn't mean to make her feel bad, he just felt horrible about it and wanted it to go away. "What are you going to do."  
"I don't know."  
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, its your choice whether you keep it or not. And it hurts me to say this but I need to let you know that I want nothing to do with it. I will give you all the money you need to raise the child but I worked to hard to get this job and I'm not going to let my stupid mistake get in the way. I have nothing to fall back on; acting is all I know and have. I love you as a friend and I'll be there for you financially but until Big Time Rush ends, you're on your own."  
"I understand. I just wanted to let you know first. I mean before it became obvious to everyone."  
"How far along are you?"  
"About 2 months"  
"Don't worry about the doctor's visits either, I'll pay for those to, anything and everything you need. Just don't attach my name to it." he said. He got up and gave her a kiss on the head. "I'll see you on set." he said as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Katie stood in the middle of the room watching the door, deep in her mind she was waiting for James to come back and change his mind but he didn't, he wouldn't. The tears began to form and it wasn't long before they fell down her face. She sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands as she cried.  
James was standing outside her door. He just couldn't move from the spot, his mind was swirling with thoughts and remorse for what he just did. It wasn't long before he heard Katie crying. He made a fist and raised it to hit the wall but lowered it again as he cried silently. He managed to stop the flow long enough to wipe his eyes enough that he could see and he ran down the hall to his room where he shut the door and began a fit of frustration.  
Katie cried for a while, she just couldn't stop; it was a well deserved cry with everything that had happened at with James denying his child it drove her over the edge as everything caught up with her. She tried to stay quiet about it but occasionally she let out a cry of extreme hurt as her heart broke in two. Carlos was the last to return but he wasn't needed so after grabbing a snack he retreated to his room but not before heading to Katie's room. He heard her crying and was concerned but didn't know what to do. He knocked but she didn't answer right away.  
"Katie?" he said softly.  
"Come in." she replied. She was sitting on the couch reading a book when Carlos walked in.  
"You ok?"  
"I'm fine, this book is just kind of a tear jerker." she replied. He knew she was lying but he didn't press it any further.  
"Oh alright, just checking in to see how you were feeling."  
"I'm feeling good."  
"Cool. If you need me for anything I'll be in my room for a little bit before heading over to the sound room." he offered. She nodded in agreement and he left. The two of them shared a lot and had a lot in common, Carlos knew it was a matter of time before she spilled the beans about what was bothering her, although he had a clue, she would talk when she was ready and he would be there ready to listen.  
Katie sat back on her couch as she stared at the ceiling for a while to allow her face to go back to normal so she didn't look like she had been crying. The next thing she knew she was awoken by a knock on her door, she woke up enough to realize it was a stage hand telling her that she was needed on set in 15 minutes. She didn't remember falling asleep but despite being a little groggy she got up quickly and went outside to the hair/make-up trailer for a touch up before getting back on set.  
Her and James had a scene together and it was first up. The director was all over her making sure she was fine to work and after a small battle he began to run through the scene. Usually the actors improved as they ran through and had a little fun but Katie and James had obvious distance between them that lessened their effort. Katie was upset but still retained a somewhat professional attitude while James was just stressed out from the news and he new that she had been crying. He was waiting for her to have a breakdown or just blurt out everything they discussed but she didn't. She kept her cool and when the director yelled action her attitude changed completely as she ran through the scene with no faults or flubs to the surprise of everyone; she usually made a few mistakes as did everyone. James was more focused on the fact that she was able to switch from herself to her acting style so quickly, it was no wonder that she always appeared to be a strong person because she was an experienced actor.  
They finished the scene in about 30 minutes after a few takes and James was free to go. Katie was given a break but she declined and they continued filming. After 2 more hours she was finished and the crew called it a day. After cleaning up closing down, everyone left. Katie stayed the night, with permission from the director since she had an early shoot tomorrow morning. She set up the pull out and flopped down on it; even after sleeping for many hours, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.  
She slept through the night peacefully, before she was gently woken up the next morning by someone shaking her. It took a few seconds for her to respond. She turned over and saw Carlos standing over her. She rolled back over in protest but he jerked the covers away. She snuggled a pillow as she retracted from the sudden draft.  
"Come on, Katie time for work." he said playfully.  
"I don't want too…" she said into her pillow. Carlos sat on the bed with her and grabbed her shoulder and shook her lightly.  
"Of course you do, you may not like the mornings but you love having fun on set."  
"I just really would rather not, ok?"  
"Why not?"  
"I just don't feel like it today."  
"Are you sick?"  
"A little bit."  
"Oh. Why didn't you say so? I'll leave you alone and see if I can get the director to switch up the schedule." he said before giving her a pat. "Feel better." he said shutting the door. He walked on set and told the director, Carlos and Logan still didn't know about Katie but the director did as well as a few select members and even then full details were released. He switched things up accordingly and began elsewhere. Kendall was close by when Carlos told the director; he was looking over a script and when no one was looking made a quick visit to Katie's room. He knocked and she answered almost immediately. He wasn't expecting her to be up.  
"I heard you weren't feeling well. Morning sickness?"  
"Not really, or at least not yet. I just didn't feel like working right now I needed some time to myself."  
"Are you feeling any better from yesterday?"  
"Yeah, much better actually. I'm just a little down I guess. Everything is just starting to hit me as it becomes a reality. I cried like no tomorrow yesterday and was nearly caught by Carlos. I told him it was from the book I was reading but I know he knows I was lying. I feel bad that I didn't tell him, I tell him everything but I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet."  
"Have you thought about what you were going to say to James?"  
"I just flat out told him."  
"You did? What did he say?"  
"He wants nothing to do with it."  
"What!"  
"He said he would pay for all my medical needs and cover all the costs for food and diapers and the like but he wants to focus on his career and a baby would get in the way or destroy it."  
"That bastard! How dare he just ignore it, its his child! He was the one who did it, it doesn't matter if he was drunk or not, he needs to step up and be a man. Is he really so self centered that he would ignore his best friend and unborn child? I'll set him straight!" he said as he stormed out. Katie was on his heels and she latched on to him and tried to pull him back. He didn't struggle too much as to avoid hurting Katie but he eventually got free. Logan heard the commotion and opened his door to find the two latched to each other. Katie saw Logan and immediately called for his help.  
"Logan stop him!" she pleaded. Logan wasted no time in asking why and just pounced on Kendall and held him back by holding him under the shoulders. Kendall kept yelling for James as he fought with Logan who kept his grip. They struggled for a minute before Logan was able to get a handle on him and pin him to a wall. Despite his shorter size and thinner frame, Logan had upper body strength that compared to James.  
"Let me go, Logan!"  
"What the hell is going on?" Logan said, keeping his grip on him  
"I'm going to teach that son of a bitch a lesson?"  
"Who?"  
"James! That's who!"  
"What did he do now?"  
"He not only raped her but he got her pregnant and now refuses to accept it as his!"  
"What!" Logan shouted in anger. He turned to Katie clearly upset but his face went soft before he spoke. "Is it true? Are you pregnant?" he asked calmly. She stood in silence for a moment as she thought about what to say before looking into his eyes and simply nodding 'Yes'. Logan went back to being angry and let go of Kendall. "He's dead meat"  
"I'm right behind you." Kendall agreed and they stormed off towards the set. Katie followed them tying to talk them out of it but they didn't want to listen.  
"No, we arent going to sit by an let him do this to you. If he thinks his career is going to come first, he has another thing coming. He wont have his career after we're through with him." Kendall said.  
"And it doesn't matter if he's going to support you financially if he's not going to admit his mistake. All the money in the world cant get your life back or your career. He's thinking only of himself and not how this affects you more than him." Logan added. Katie was silent as Logan's words sank in, she hadn't really thought about her future. She would be done filming by the time the pregnancy began to show a lot, she wasn't a small frame so she had extra time before she began to show. She figured she would have the child over break, and no one would know; then she could go back to filming. But with paparazzi around all the time she could never risk being seen in public with a kid.  
The commotion they were causing had sent a staff member to find out what was going on. Kendall and Logan were still quite upset to say the least but they kept it quiet about what was going on and just pretended they were having some fun and just got a little rowdy. They were told to go outside if they want to be noisy, it was almost break time anyway. They headed outside and just chilled out on the stairs, trying to just enjoy the nice day. Katie sat at the bottom of the stairs in a slump, her knees to her chest and chin on top. Kendall and Logan looked at each other defeated, their outbursts and tempers surely weren't helping Katie feel any better about the situation. They scooted down the stairs and comforted her as they apologized for the uproar.  
"I know are actions may not seem like the best option but we're doing it all for you, we care about you that much. If he wont help you, we will." Kendall said  
"Yeah, and don't worry about the future, we'll work together for as long as this takes us and nothing will change that. If the network gets rid of you, they take all of us." Logan added.

"Then you'll be black listed. I couldn't let you ruin your lives for me. I would never forgive you for that." she said sternly, not looking either in the eye. They were silent at her words; it hurt that she would say that but it also brought them to reality, they would be blacklisted and they weren't sure they could deal with that.  
"If they got rid of me, it would be hard to deal with but I'm sure everyone would move on and be fine like I never existed. Just like what always happens. Words are just words until they are put into action and when the day comes, its never the way it was promised." She continued. She stood up but didn't turn around. "Fighting for me just leads to more trouble and of course, I'm at the source of it all. I thought maybe things would be different here; that I could start a new life and pretend that I mattered and leave my past behind me but I guess I'm just that kind of person that everyone can replace. I'm just filler until someone better comes along. The yelling never stops, even here I'm the root of all evil and it will never change. Do what you wish, not what you think you should do. My days are numbered and nothing will change that so instead of putting yourselves at risk, why not just continue to do what you do and bring smiles and laughs to people all over the world. Just like you've done with me. It's been a fun ride and thanks for the opportunity of a life time." She trailed off as she began to walk away.  
"Katie!" Logan called after her.  
"You cant leave us like this! Katie!" Kendall called out but their call went unanswered. They watched as she walked away and didn't know what to do. They wanted to chase after her but the anger inside them was welling up and they wanted to tear into James even more. Carlos showed up as they were about to discuss what to do. Without any explanation, they pushed Carlos forward and pointed in the direction that Katie went and went inside in a rush. Carlos watched as they ran away and through his hands up in confusion. He turned and saw Katie as she went down an alleyway. He called out but she didn't hear him and he ran after her. He caught up quickly and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. She was crying.  
"What's wrong?" he said sternly with a concerned look. She took a minute before shaking her head. "Come on, out with it, you've been really upset the past few days and you were sick so what is it? Are you in pain?" he asked trying to pry it out of her. She tried to wipe the tears away subtly and tried to look strong and play it off. She looked him in his eyes and it only took a few seconds before she broke down and fell into his arms as she cried into his chest with a vengeance. He caught her as she fell and just let her cry; he wanted to cry to, Katie never cried, even when she was in pain. She was such a strong person, so to make her cry this hard something had to be really wrong. Carlos just hoped that whatever it was, that he could fix it and make her stop crying.


	3. Chapter 3

_***AN* I really hoped this would be the last chapter but apparently its going to go a little longer. I swear its almost done. I may have the whole story outlined in my head but as I write I sometimes just free write but with the plot line so it just flows out like no tomorrow. There are a few twists and turns as well as some unanswered questions so I hope you enjoy. *  
**_

The moments ticked by so slowly as Katie continued to cry, Carlos' heart breaking in two at the sound. Eventually she calmed down enough where they could have a decent conversation. They sat in the alley way, behind a staircase and she spilled everything that was going on. Needless to say Carlos was miffed at the fact that James was doing this but he was also sympathetic towards Katie and what she was going through. He wanted to make sure that she was ok and he assured her she wouldn't be alone. He would do everything in his power to keep the child hidden and make sure Katie kept her job.  
He knew that something wasn't quite normal about Katie but it wasn't in a bad sense. When he first met her and their eyes met he just knew that she needed a friend, a companion. Someone who would be by her side through thick and thin and just treat her like a human being. He was the only person who knew everything about Katie's past: the bullying, the torment, the physical and emotional abuse, and just anything and everything else. Every person has their own baggage to carry but Katie was carrying so much, all by herself and no one seemed to notice or care to help her unpack.  
Carlos and Katie shared a special bond, they just instantly clicked. It wasn't a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship but instead a brother/sister relationship. If it wasn't for the ethnic difference: Carlos with his Latin skin and dark hair and Katie a honey blonde with fair skin, the probably could have been assumed as siblings. They spent a lot of time together and became fast friends. Katie was so happy to find an actual friend, she only had a few close friends back home and in recent years they began to drift apart. Carlos enjoyed the time together as well, it was a mutual benefit, he went to her with his problems, questions or concerns just like she did to him. He often went to her for help with his dog, since Katie was so knowledgeable with canines.  
They spent a good hour just talking together. They even shared a few laughs. It was what both of them needed. Carlos made sure that she was alright and that she felt better. He promised he would be there and help her through this no matter what. He was furious was James on the inside but he didn't let that show.

Inside the studio Logan and Kendall had reached their limits and stormed to the set in a fury. James was in the middle of a take with Camille and the Jennifers when Kendall yelled for him. Everyone turned to him, a little annoyed that he was disturbing the scene but concerned that something was wrong, when they saw Logan take a shot at James. Staff were quick to their feet and got both Kendall and Logan under control before either could land another punch.  
James was tossed back from the impact but he was still standing, he was about to retaliate in anger when he was held down as well. Kendall wasted no time in letting James know how he felt.  
"You fucking bastard! How could you do that to her?" Kendall called out  
"You're a fucking prick, you know that?" Logan said.  
"You think it's ok to just walk away from what you did? All the money in the world isn't going to change what you did or get her life back!" Kendall continued.  
"Enough! What the hell is going on?" The director yelled throwing down his clipboard in frustration. No one talked, they stayed silent as they averted their gazes from each other. "Whatever it is, get over it. You've gotten over several of your petty little arguments and I expect you to get over this one and act like adults. Another outburst like that and you wont see a vacation day for months, is that clear?"  
"I don't care, it'll be worth it if I never see this sorry excuse for a human being." Kendall spat.  
"Kendall!" the director snapped.  
"You call yourself a man? You're no man when you walk out on the mother of your own child." Kendall continued. James looked at him with pleading eyes as he heard Kendall reveal what he so desperately tried to hide. "You disgust me, how could you even think that your career came first? You raped your coworker, your best friend, knocked her up and then refuse to acknowledge it? What a waste of space." Kendall said.  
"Kendall, that's too far!" Logan reprimanded in surprise. Security showed up and both Kendall and Logan were removed from the lot. James was seen by the on sight paramedics and given a small bandage for the cut on his cheek as well as some ice. He sat in a chair and just relaxed for a bit as things were settled and schedules rearranged. A meeting was called for all the stars of the show to discuss what was going on, Kendall's words caused a stir among everyone and now questions arose; although names weren't mentioned it would get out pretty fast through process of elimination. The meeting was to put strict limits and rehearse lines to say to interviewers should this get out. Most staff members had no idea what Kendall was talking about but were surprised once they were filled in. The meeting would be held in a few days after Kendall and Logan got some time to cool off.  
James was under a lot of pressure, he felt guilty already for the choice he made and knew he hurt Katie but he just couldn't give up his career. On the other hand he also thought that by keeping his job he would have enough money to support her, but not everyone saw it that way. He didn't realize just how much it was going to change Katie's life.  
He liked to believe that he was the most mature and most professional of the group; he was always early, booked more single meet and greets than the other guys and so on but he just couldn't face the responsibility or defamation of having a child. He wasn't ready to disappoint his family, friends and fans that he had a child. But at the same time if they found out that he had one and he left it, it would cause the same problem. He grabbed a pen, paper and his financial records from his office and began to write out a semi-will. If he stayed working for the children's network there was a greater chance he would be fired if and when word got out he fathered a child. He left instructions for his financial account at the network and left the key to a safety deposit box. He also left behind, his dog, he couldn't take him with him. He packed a bag and left to begin a new life as he searched for a new acting career.  
_ To whom it may concern,_  
_I officially declare this my two weeks notice as I search for another job. I'm sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations and I'm glad we were friends for the time we shared but I need to move on. I know it seems like I am abandoning the mother of my child and take it as you will but I leave behind all my valuables and the remainder of my savings to support the health care of both._  
_I already had several auditions lined up and because of this break through role, I am being asked for like crazy. I will most likely have a job or two by the time this letter is read. I will be sending at least half of what I make back to the network that I hope will cover the costs of the child. Again, I'm sorry its come to this but I have to do what's right for me and I'm not ready to take on this responsibility. _  
_Katie, I love you , and I wish you luck in the future._  
_ Your friend,_  
_ James Diamond._  
It was several days before anyone made their way to his condo. Staff and officials had tried to get into contact with him 2 days after the fight but there was no response and his phone was off. It wasn't until they called him on his cell again later in the week when they got the message that it had been disconnected. His condo was dark and looked to be abandoned from the windows, although once they got the key to his place, inside told a different story. Electricity and water had been cut to the house to avoid any hazards but the place was still intact and lived in.  
The staff members who were in charge to look for James, Mark an Susan called in to the network to tell of their findings. More staff and Nate himself showed up within the next half hour and met the team who had waited outside. Everybody received a flashlight and they went through the house CSI style. The rooms weren't overly messy but it was clear that his housekeeper hadn't been there in days. On the backdoor they found a note to his housekeeper, Amy:  
_ Amy,_  
_ I know this is short notice and I apologize for not being able to contact you earlier but your services are no longer required. Something has come up and I had to leave abruptly. I doubt things will return to normal where I will be able to return so I wish you luck in your job search. I have sent you your final check plus a small bonus in token of my appreciation for your work, upbeat personality and friendship. Thanks for putting up with me and my friends for the past few years. _  
_ -James_  
_P.S. I ask one favor from you if you are willing; please take care of my dog. Even if you are not able to keep him, at least make sure he is safe, I couldn't take him with me in my rush and I am unable to come back for him._  
Dishes were piled high in the kitchen and dust had accumulated in various locations throughout the house. In his office his landline phone was blinking furiously to alert of the many messages that had been left on the answering system. Staff skipped through the messages from the studio and came across a brief message from Amy herself announcing that she was unable to come in that week. It didn't click with staff right away that since Amy never showed up, James' dog was still there in the condo. He had been quiet and there was no trace of the dog other than half eaten food and nearly dissipated water. Staff found the note and finished their search as they gathered some of his things listed on a separate sheet of paper found beside the note. They would come back another time to clean out the place if they had to but for now, they would leave it as it was in the slightest chance that James would change his mind.  
Staff returned a week later when electricity and water had been restored to the condo and began a through search of his place. Kendall, and Logan swallowed their pride enough to help out in the investigation as well as help clear it out. Despite the feelings they all shared about James, they had too many good memories with each other and didn't want to see the place go up for sale. With everything that had happened and in an effort to try to get everyone to reconcile with their feelings, Nate didn't hesitate to sign a 6 month lease for the condo.  
Katie would stay in the condo, since she had nowhere else to go. She had been staying mostly at the studio and on nights when she couldn't or they had gone out to enjoy the early night, she would stay at either Carlos' or Kendall's house. Because she was kind of weak and still getting sick on and off, someone would be staying with her at night. The condo would be used by the network as a vacation house since it was right on the beach. Stars of the various shows could spend a day off or two their and enjoy the sun, sand and surf.  
Without James, they could do no more filming. They shot a few scenes that didn't require James but wrapped up in another week. James had still not come back or even contacted anyone and no one knew where he went. He was a missing person and cops and investigators were called but there was nothing that they could do since James had left voluntarily. Everybody was worried about him; despite what he had done and the way things had ended up between them, they were all still close.  
The days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months and James was no where to be found. The cast and crew had given up hope long before now and just counted the days until he would show up on the news; either found dead or with another roll. But nothing turned up despite all their best efforts, even online. They avoided calling attention to the situation and just kept twitter pictures rolling out as needed to appease fans in hopes of drawing attention away from James' disappearance as well as their lack of publicity as a whole.  
As Katie went into her third trimester of pregnancy, her stamina had gone down quite a bit. Although she was having a normal and healthy pregnancy, to be on the safe side she had a check up once a week or so. No expense was spared and with the amount that James left behind, they took full advantage of it for Katie's benefit. Carlos went with her to most of the appointments but sometimes Kendall or Logan took her if Carlos couldn't. They all pitched in, in different ways; Kendall was like her butler and nurse, Logan was the housekeeper and physical therapist and Carlos was the chauffeur and therapist. She spent a lot of time on her own and didn't take advantage of the guys, she did things for herself until her 8th month when she was just so drained and too big to do a lot of things on her own. She was put on bed rest for the last month as everyone waited impatiently for delivery.  
It was very late at night, the house was dark and quiet. All that could be heard were the waves gently crashing on the shore through the open windows and occasionally a light creak or pop as the house settled. The moon shone brightly over the ocean and glared off it giving much of the outside a light silvery glow. Katie was sound asleep in her bed downstairs; as was Logan who was asleep on the couch in the living room. Katie began to become restless in her sleep as she dreamed but it wasn't long before she awoke to reality. She had dreamt that she felt pain but when she woke up she no longer felt it, she quickly fell back asleep but 45 minutes later she repeated the process.  
The pain wasn't all that strong, it wasn't any worse than a stomach ache although it did feel different. She brushed it off in her sleepy state and tried to get comfortable. Before long the pain became stronger and more frequent. It became unbearable and Katie had to get up. Walking around helped lessen it a little, she hadn't had Braxton Hicks contractions yet and although she was told that not everyone gets them she wanted to make sure if what she was feeling were real or fake contractions. Logan was awake and heard her up and immediately went to check on her.  
"Katie, are you alright?" he asked concerned.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I think. I'm in some pain but I don't think they are real contractions." she replied with a slight pained expression  
"You sure?" he asked  
"Pretty sure, they lessened a bit once I got up and walked around." she explained  
"I'll help you out, then. I'll be here for support, ok?" He offered  
"Ok. Can we go outside? I'd like to get some fresh air." she stated  
"Sure." he smiled as he led her to the veranda. The veranda was quite long so they walked back and forth on it slowly as they enjoyed the night air and talked. Katie needed a break and they were both facing the ocean and looking out at the beach when a knock could be heard. Katie was a little spooked at first and leaned into Logan for support.  
"It's ok, it's just Kendall, I texted him a little while ago telling him what was up. I'll be right back." he said giving her a peck on the head. He jogged to the door and peeked out the eye hole to double check that it was Kendall before letting him in. Upon opening the door, Logan was met with a jumpy and nervous Kendall as he walked into the house. He began asking 20 questions when Logan assured him everything was fine.  
"Where is she?" Kendall asked  
"On the veranda getting some air." Logan pointed as he closed and locked the door. When he turned around Kendall was gone. Logan made his way back outside and saw them talking. Katie was tired and ready to go to bed so Kendall took her back and refreshed her ice water before returning to the living room and chatting with Logan.  
"I told you everything was fine, I just texted you to fill you in, you didn't have to rush over here."  
"I know, I just wanted to be sure. Besides, with both of us here, she'll have more help and what not."  
"True, although that could cause problems, I mean we all cant go traipsing to the hospital, even it is at 4am. If we get noticed, which is more likely when we are all together, then its all over. We came this far, so we cant blow it now."  
"Then what are we supposed to do?"  
"Call an ambulance for one, not only will they get her there faster and be able to help her better, but one of us can go with her and get in through the back entrance unseen. Then the rest of us can meet whoever is at the hospital, with her bags and in disguise of course."  
"Good plan."  
"That's it, it is just a plan, you've seen the movies and TV shows. You can practice this day and night and know it like the back of your hand but its not going to work out that way."  
"Well, maybe with the 2 of us things have a better chance of working out." Kendall yawned.  
"I hope so. I'm just getting anxious for this kid to be born already, I'm kinda tired of catering to it."  
"I know how you feel. It's a good thing Katie isn't needy, otherwise I would have quit a long time ago."  
"Same, but I suppose it's the least we can do for her; this is supposed to be James' problem." Logan said. He waited for a response from Kendall but he had fallen asleep. Logan got himself comfortable and soon fell asleep as well.  
_**  
*AN* About James' dog; make up your own conclusion. I stuck the dog inside the story but then it kind of just dwindled off. he either ran away or was found dead/almost dead. your choice. I figured the story was depressing/suspenseful enough that it didnt need such a tiny detail. But I had gone too far with the dog already to retrace my steps and take it out.*  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

_****_It was late the next morning before Logan woke up. He had fallen asleep at a bad angle and was a bit achy from all the cramps. He groaned in slight pain as he rolled over to get himself up to stretch. As he did, a paper fell to the floor; he didn't see or hear it at first but when he looked down, it peaked his interest. He didn't recall writing anything the night before so he wondered what it was. He bent down and grabbed it and looked it over before getting up and calling Kendall in a panic.  
Kendall was asleep on the other couch and Logan shook him awake. Kendall awoke in a tizzy as he yelled in confusion.  
"Huh! What!" he yelled as he was startled awake.  
"Kendall, get up its an emergency."  
"What's going on?" he said slightly slurred but yet alert.  
"It's Katie-" he began. Kendall didn't let him finish.  
"Is she ok? What's going on? Is she in labor? Get the car! I'll grab her bags!" He said in a panic as he toppled off the couch in a tizzy trying to gain his footing.  
"Kendall wait a minute!" Logan called after him "It isn't that" Kendall stopped in his tracks and looked back.  
"It isn't?"  
"No. Well, yes and no. just read this." Logan said holding out the note he had found. Kendall walked over and took it from him as he read it over in silence.  
Guys,  
Sorry that I have been such a burden to you, I tried my best to do things on my own but I guess that just frustrated you. I'm not used to the kindness that you have shown me. I was in the hall last night when I heard you guys talking and I feel terrible that you felt obligated to care for me. I'm used to being left in the dark so whether you guys were there or not didn't matter although I am eternally grateful for all that you had done thus far.  
The point of this little note is to tell you that I really wasn't feeling good and the pain came back; more so. I saw that you were both asleep and remembered what you had been talking about and took it upon myself to call the ambulance for me. I gave them the address of a house a block down so the sirens would not wake you. I'll be fine and will be back at the condo in a few days. I'll see you when I see you.  
Katie.  
"Dammit!" Kendall yelled out in frustration. "I let her down again…"  
"I think we all did." Logan said.  
"There's no making this up to her now. Let's face it Logan, our careers are finished; BTR is dead. The network can replace James but its not going to be the same even if we all did get along and could harmonize together just like the original cast. The network is all about ratings and the minute they drop, we are fired." Kendall explained.  
"We can try. We may not be able to be as big but maybe we will have enough die hard fans to just make it by. And if we don't then at least it was fun while it lasted. We will still have each other too."  
"No we wont."  
"Of course we will-" Logan began to reassure before Kendall interrupted.  
"Do you honestly think things are going to be the same between us after BTR is canceled? We like each other sure, but we'll never work together again. We're all going to go our separate ways, do our separate things and move on with our lives. We'll be free to do just about anything, but at what price?" Kendall said. He paused as he leaned against the door frame, looking out onto the beach. "We'll never see Katie again, she'll end up back in Connecticut, alone and scared with a child. There is no way her parents will let her home, they'll disown her and she'll be on the streets. What kind of life is that?"  
Logan stood in silence, looking to the floor, as Kendall's words rang true. A knock on the door startled both of them; they took a second before both went to the door, Logan answering it. Carlos was on the other side and he greeted the duo with a smile before it turned to a frown as he looked at their downhearted faces.  
"What's wrong?" Carlos said seriously. He came in and Logan and Kendall filled him in on everything.  
"Whether you guys meant it differently or not can be discussed later, right now I need to go see my best friend. I'll text you the details once I know them." he said roughly before walking out. Logan and Kendall sat in silence for a while as they did some deep thinking. They didn't know what to do and were filled with so many emotions they didn't know where to begin.  
"Kendall?" Logan said quietly. He was looking at the floor but could see out of the corner of his eye that Kendall turned to him in silence waiting for him to continue. "What if I meant what I said? I mean about last night. I am tired of catering to this kid and I know we promised to help her with the child but I don't think I can do it anymore. I'm so tired of it that I'm beginning to take it out on Katie like it was her fault. She didn't ask for any of this; that's not fair to her. I'm just so confused, I mean I still like her and all but at the same time….I…" Logan trailed off unable to finish his sentence. He was sickened by his thoughts; he felt like he was acting like James and backing out of the problem and he didn't want to go down that route.  
"At least you made it this far; that's farther than James did. Whether or not you stick around you're already a better father than him and you arent even a father. You're helping care for a kid that's not even yours. Don't worry about it that much, I'm tired too and I'm pretty sure this will all fade once the kid is born." Kendall said. Logan perked up a bit  
"You're probably right."  
"Let's grab a bite before Carlos calls; I'm starving"  
"You're always hungry." Logan chuckled. They helped themselves to whatever food they could find in the cupboards. Food had been scarce in the past 2 weeks, since the lease to the condo was just about up. There was no word on whether or not the network was going to renew it or not which became another worry. Katie wouldn't be able to travel right away so she was going to need a place to stay, Carlos had an extra room but with his large dog roaming around he said it was only a last resort. Katie stayed at Kendall's place before but that was when his brother was away, now that it was late August and his bro was home there wasn't the space. Logan lived in a very tiny apartment that was often rowdy and just wasn't suitable for young children.  
With less than a week left on the lease, they wondered what would happen. All of their calls to the network had been ignored and they needed answers. During the lease, the guys and Katie were the only ones who used the house, there was room for other network guests but no one showed up, let alone knew the details of what was going on in the house.  
They sat at the table as they devoured a box of cereal between them, Kendall's phone was sitting on the table and it buzzed indicating a text message. He picked it up to check and saw it was Carlos. Logan's phone went off as well before Kendall said anything and he dug it out of his pocket to read an identical message.  
"Katie's doing fine. Resting comfortably. Drs. Not sure what's going on but not life threatening to either."  
They breathed a sigh of relief at his words but were still a bit concerned. They finished up breakfast and cleaned up before receiving another text:  
"Very strong Braxton hicks, normal. Keeping her overnight for observation for some reason. Drs. Assured she is fine, just routine based on med. History. Heading home to grab some stuff before my shift."  
Carlos came by the condo after a few hours with a couple bags. He was going to stay a few nights at the condo since it was his turn. Logan and Kendall were going to stay overnight and get things ready for her return as well as continue working on packing stuff away, ready to move in case the lease wasn't renewed. Nate finally returned their calls and told them that as of now it was still up in the air, the condo land owner was preventing them from renewing. He didn't give a reason but had kept putting it off.  
Katie returned the next afternoon to the condo to see boxes piled up at the door. The network rented a storage container to put all the stuff in and it would be kept on the lot until a new lease was signed. Katie would be staying at the studio until then since there was no other place to go at the moment. Although the studio was closed down during the hiatus, it was opened up for them to stay in for a few days.  
It was now early September and both Katie and her baby were doing fine; it was just a waiting game as the due date drew closer. She was put on strict bed rest and someone was always with her to help out. Katie had gotten bored with being on bed rest and could no longer entertain herself with video games, movies, drawing, reading and the like. She wanted to get up and get out; she was getting agitated and felt bad for keeping the others cooped up with her. It wouldn't have been so bad if the room had some windows or something but since they were still in the studio it was a dark and dreary place since only portions were being used.  
Eventually though news came about that the lease had been renewed. The landlord had wanted to do an inspection and do some light remodeling on the condo. Going through his records he realized that it hadn't been inspected in quite some time and was not up to code on some things. To everyone's relief they moved back in later in the afternoon and enjoyed the space to move about freely. Katie was thrilled that she had the space to move about and some windows to let in light and some fresh air. However, it also hurt when they saw they studio padlocked again; it reminded them of the reality that was setting in, that BTR was very close to being no more.  
Kendall, Carlos and Logan all stayed the first night in the condo with Katie. They were tired from moving a lot of stuff back in and crashed pretty early, around 11pm. The peace of the house was broken when Katie let out a cry of pain at around 5 in the morning. She was in debilitating pain and could hardly move but managed to get out of bed and hobble, hunched over down the hall for help. Despite all the noise she had made everyone was still asleep. She went over to Kendall and shook him a few times before hitting him on the shoulder. He woke up enough to see her standing there and asked what was wrong.  
"I need you to get up. I think we need to go to the hospital." she said. He sat up and was alert.  
"Are you sure?" Kendall asked slightly alarmed  
"I'm in agony, Kendall. It hurts so much." she replied  
"Ok." he said. He got up and put her in the chair and proceeded to wake up Logan and Carlos.  
"Logan! Get up." Kendall called tapping him incessantly. Logan eventually got woke up although he wasn't in the greatest of moods and Kendall told him the emergency. Not fully awake just yet and not being able to process what Kendall had just said, Logan got up in no hurry and dragged himself to the bathroom. Kendall watched as Logan was no help and woke Carlos up. Carlos was spooked awake but it didn't take him long to put everything together. In his hurry to get up he couldn't get out of the sheets and up fast enough, but once he did he ran to get her bags. Kendall grabbed his keys and helped Katie to the car. Logan came out of the bathroom and was alert enough to finally understand the urgency of his surroundings. The usually calm and collected Logan screamed and began to panic before Carlos calmed him down. Logan went back to his calm self and jumped in the car. Carlos tossed the bags in the trunk and got in with Logan and Kendall drove them all to the hospital.  
They arrived at the hospital after an hour, traffic was horrible. They rushed into the hospital in a panic and stormed the desk in a fury.  
"Our friend is in labor!"  
"Ok. Sit tight and we'll get her settled and taken care of." the orderly said with a kind smile. She paged some nurses to come out and in less than a minute they arrived.  
"Where is she?" one of the nurses said.  
"She's right- Logan where is she?" Kendall asked  
"I thought Carlos had her?" Logan replied  
"I don't." Carlos said.  
"Fuck! The car!" Kendall said and he followed them out to the car. The nurses weren't far behind. Katie was in the front seat in the middle of another contraction when Kendall threw open his door and tried to get her out. The nurses told Kendall to back away and that they would handle it. They coached her through the contraction and then placed her in a wheel chair. The guys were all over her in apology as she tried to catch her breath. She smiled at them and waved them off in acceptance as she was wheeled into the maternity ward. Until she was settled they guys had to wait in the waiting room. They followed the nurses to the door and watched through the window until she was out of sight.  
They took a sigh of relief now that she was in safe hands but the adrenaline was still flowing at the thought that this was it, they just couldn't relax. It was several minutes before a doctor came out and called her name.  
"Hello, I'm Dr. Geng. Is one of you the father?" he asked  
"No. the father is a deadbeat." Kendall scoffed.  
"I see. So what is your relationship to Katie?"  
"Co-workers/best friends." Carlos said.  
"Ok. Glad to see she has some friends who care about her. Not too many women in this situation are as lucky. In any case, Katie is doing fine, no complications thus far and it appears that she will have a normal delivery. She isn't dilated very much so she may have a longer labor so she could be in the ward for quite a while. We like to keep the birth as natural as possible, it's safer for mother and baby without the use of all kinds of drugs to move things along or reduce pain."  
"How long can labor go on for?"  
"Anywhere from an hour to more than a day. It depends on the frequency and strength of the contractions, as well as dilation. If no progress is being made after several hours then we would go for a Cesarean section other wise if progress is being made but at a slower pace it can take several hours. Each woman is different and it's too early to say what the process will be but we will keep you posted."  
"Thank you doctor." Carlos said.  
"No problem, we'll let you know when she goes into the delivery room. I assume no one will be with her?" he asked. They were quiet as they thought about it and looked at each other. They hadn't thought about that and weren't exactly sure if Katie would even want any of them with her, they were close but that was a dangerous line to cross. "You can think about it some more, its totally up to you if you think she wouldn't mind. I have other patients to see in the mean time so I must be going." he said as he went back inside.  
Inside was where Katie was relaxing in her own room. Due to her well known fame, she was treated just like the other patients but she got more privacy. She had her own medical staff to tend to her but of course shared the doctor since there were others who needed him. Thanks to James' incoming checks and the generosity of the network to pitch in to pay her medical expenses, she received the best of everything.  
She was resting comfortably between contractions that had only gotten frequent and more intense but she made little progress other wise. She was sweaty, sore all over and tired; labor had taken a lot out of her and it was only the beginning. Because she wasn't making much progress the use of local anesthetics couldn't be used so she had to endure the pain for now.  
It had been several hours since arriving at the hospital and her contractions were deemed the real thing but they had stopped. Dr. Geng decided that she needed a little help and gave her an injection to induce labor again and hope that it would be enough to make it continue to delivery. He went out to the waiting room to relay the information he had and found the guys resting in the corner of the room. He decided they were probably just as exhausted as Katie was and let them rest, it had been a long day so far. After another hour she was checked again and the drug appeared to be working she was moved to the delivery ward after another 2 hours once she was prepared for delivery..  
Logan woke up to the gentle pages of doctors and looked around before coming too and realizing where he was. He smacked both Kendall and Carlos who were on either side, sound asleep.  
"Does anyone know anything knew?" he asked. But both had fallen asleep and new nothing so they went up to the desk to ask. A different nurse was behind the desk and had to ask for all of their information.  
"Here she is, it appears that she just went into the delivery room. It could be another hour before we find out if it's a boy or girl."  
"Can we go in?" Logan asked. The other two looked at him but backed him up and agreed.  
"Sure, go on in and the orderlies will get you scrubbed up and sterilized." she said as she pressed the buzzer for the door. They walked in and were caught by staff and pulled to the scrub room where they had their hands and arms scrubbed vigorously and then had gloves, masks, hats, aprons and even covers on their shoes placed on them. They were then lead to the hallway just outside Katie's room where she heard her screaming. They screamed in response and got closer to each other, they were kind of hurt that she was in so much pain; they didn't want to see her like that.  
"Logan, look in the window and see what's going on."  
"I'm not looking in. Carlos, you do it."  
"I cant get a good as look as Kendall could."  
"Fine." Kendall said defeated. He looked in slowly and saw that the way the room was positioned, he couldn't see much, just doctors. He breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't want to see Katie exposed if he could help it. He's seen the birth process in health class when he was in high school and it was not a pretty sight. He never wanted to see that again. "It's clear, you can't see anything." he told them. They looked in and were focused on what the staff were doing and listening to what little dialogue they could hear that they didn't hear another doctor walk up behind them.  
"Hey." he said in a non threatening way. The guys jumped, not expecting him to be behind them and in their confusion, tripped over their own feet and each other before landing on the floor and against the door with a thud. "Oh my, are you boys alright?" he asked bending to help them up and check them out. "I didn't mean to startle you." The commotion was loud enough to cause staff inside the room come out to see what was going on.  
"Oh, it's you. I see you are all scrubbed up, come on in, you are just in time."  
"That's ok. Can we just watch from here?"  
"We're close but not that close."  
"More like a Brother and sister kind of relationship"  
"Just let her know we're here is all."  
"Sure" he said with a smile before returning inside. They watched from the door as Katie screamed in agony and staff coached her through it. They wanted to be with her and knew that she would love to have some support but at the same time they respected her privacy. After all she would have made staff come get them if she felt comfortable enough.  
Katie wished she had someone's hand to hold, someone to tell her that everything was alright but she was alone and in pain surrounded by strangers. She knew the guys were right outside and knew that they were fighting every urge to come barging through that door to her rescue. She wished she could tell them it would be alright for a change.


	5. Chapter 5

Kendall was staring through the window of the door as he leaned against the wall, arms folded. He had a solemn but serious look on his face as he watched and listened for several minutes. Logan and Carlos took turns watching and would take a break every now and then. The two of them paced the hall, checked the time constantly and were somewhat impatient.  
"Guys, the doctor is coming." Kendall said suddenly. They looked up and Kendall backed up to avoid being hit by the door.  
"Is it over?" Carlos asked  
"I'm afraid not. It seems as though we hit a snag. The baby was breech which that is somewhat common and easy to fix but after switching it around it came down the birth canal only half way before getting stuck on the pelvis. Without an x-ray we can't tell for certain but obviously we cant get one. Has she fallen or been hit at any time in the lower abdomen before getting pregnant?" The doctor began  
"She cracked her tailbone after landing on a set of stairs probably 2 years ago." Logan explained.  
"Hmm ok, it's possible that her pelvis was slightly dislocated, it happens. We'll get her into surgery while she is here to correct it but now we know what we are dealing with. The next piece is that she is just physically and mental exhausted from this endeavor, she needs some emotional support, would one of you be willing to help out?" He asked  
"I'll do it." Carlos volunteered quickly. Dr. Geng wasted no time and grabbed him by the shoulder and brought him in. Katie looked absolutely drained and his heart sank. He walked up to the bed and leaned over to grab her hand. She was tired and nearly asleep before he whispered to her; she looked over at him with tired but pleading eyes.  
"You can do this, it's almost over. I'm here for you now, you don't have to go through this alone, ok?" he smiled. She was too tired to respond and lolled her head back over to the side.  
"Here comes another contraction, Katie. I want you to push once more for me ok?" Dr. Geng said.  
"Come on Katie just once more." Carlos persuaded. She squinted at the pain as it began and let out a yelp as it grew to its peak.  
"Push, Katie!" Dr. Geng instructed.  
"Give it all you got!" Carlos said. Katie mustered the strength she had left and gave one more push.  
"Almost there, keep going!" Dr. Geng said. "I got the head, it's coming! One more push now." Katie kept going as long as she could but could no longer keep it going and fell back in the bed out of breath and exhausted. "He or she is coming out on an angle, I still got a shoulder left. I'll see if I can get it free. Nurse, I need an extra set of hands."  
"Yes, Doctor." She replied. She took the position of the doctor and held the baby while another nurse stood by waiting with supplies.  
"Come on, come on!" Dr Geng said a little frustrated and concerned.  
"Doctor, another contraction." a nurse said looking at the meter. Although it was strong, Katie didn't make as big a fuss, she was just too tired and drained but she managed to give a little push towards the end and it was enough to free the baby.  
"Nurse." Dr Geng said sternly but calm. Carlos was paying attention to Katie as she rested and didn't notice the nurse rush the baby to the exam table. Kendall and Logan were watching intently as they heard things get quiet. Kendall could see more from his angle and could see staff members rushing around.  
"I think it's over." he said. He moved so Logan could get a look. "I didn't see a baby but all of a sudden there seems to be a lot of activity." Logan stood quietly as he watched. Kendall took the opportunity to check his phone.  
Inside the quiet finally rang in Carlos' ears. He looked up to see everyone crowding the baby and it wasn't crying. They were working fast but in an ordered fashion but Carlos couldn't help but feel his heart breaking in two. He hated to think that Katie had gone through all this to give birth to a weak, deformed or worse yet, still born baby. He stayed by her side and did his best to hold his tears back as he prayed that he would here the baby cry.  
The minutes crept by like hours. Katie garnered enough strength to be able to sit up a little bit; once she recognized what was happening she turned to Carlos for answers but he didn't have any. She began to panic a little at the thought of losing her child. During the entire pregnancy she felt wondered if she was doing the right thing, she wasn't sure if she would like the child or resent it for it being an outcome of a horrible event but her reactions and emotions told of a different story. Her heart sank and her eyes filled with tears before Carlos wrapped his arm around her, resting his chin in her hair and continued to hold her hand.  
Soon after the tears began to fall from both of their eyes, a strong and powerful scream could be heard. By anything short of a miracle Dr. Geng and his team got the baby to come too. Despite being an awful sounding cry like the baby was hurt or scared, it was music to their ears and the tears that were now streaming their faces were tears of joy. Carlos squeezed her hand and she looked to him as they embraced as best they could. The crying soon stopped and Katie was able to see the baby.  
"Congratulations, Katie; it's a girl." Dr. Geng said as the nurse held the baby for her too see. Katie couldn't hold her right away, the baby had to be brought to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit or the NICU they called it, because of the rough start. They wanted to be sure that the baby didn't suffer any long term health or bran defects. Because they worked quickly it was highly unlikely that any problems would arise but they just wanted to be sure.  
Dr. Geng took a break to let Kendall and Logan know the news.  
"How is she? Did she have the baby yet?" Logan asked as soon as the door opened.  
"I'm happy to report that she delivered a baby girl at 4:37pm. Mom's doing fine, the baby is head to the NICU for some extra care. Her heart was beating when she was in the womb but coming out of the birth canal it stopped. We got her going again and she let out this really nice wail, I'm surprised you didn't hear it. She's a fighter for sure but to be on the safe side she'll spend a few days in an incubator as we run tests to make sure everything is functioning properly." Dr. Geng reported. The news gave them mixed feelings, they were hurt that something had gone wrong after all the trouble but happy that it was finally over. They didn't have too much time to react and ask questions before a nurse came out in urgency.  
"Doctor, she's having strong contractions." she reported  
"Are you sure? I thought it was a single?" he asked  
"That's what it says on the ultrasound." she replied.  
"Well let's see what's going on then." he said going back inside without giving the guys a second glance. Katie was in the middle of a powerful contraction and he coached her through it and gave her a quick ultrasound. There was nothing that they could see but it didn't explain the contractions. "I need to have a look, where's that camera?' he asked. A nurse handed him the needed equipment and he began his work. The last contraction was unexpected and tired her out but she felt the doctor working and used new found strength to show her displeasure as she stomped and kicked at his touch. She was quickly calmed down and Dr. Geng continued. He quickly began giving orders and the room was frazzled as another contraction began to form.  
"I know you're tired Katie but you arent quite done just yet. We need to go one more round."  
"another round?" Carlos asked.  
"Looks like your having twins."  
"Twins!" they both said together. Katie found new motivation and pushed as hard as she could but the pain kept coming in waves and she couldn't take it. Kendall and Logan could both hear her screaming and couldn't understand what was going on and were concerned.  
Katie kept it up for as long as she could but she just didn't have it in her. However it was timed just right and shortly before she gave out, the 2nd baby slid out. She was breathing hard and shaking; it wasn't long before she passed out, in fact she didn't even hear her baby wail.  
When she woke up she was in a different room, it was night time and her room was dark. She was warm under the covers and could feel a chill in the air. She snuggled back down and fell asleep peacefully, completely unaware that she had just given birth. When she woke up the next morning it came back to her, clear as day but she assumed that it was just a dream, it was a common occurrence that she would have very realistic or vivid dreams and she thought they really happened but she just didn't let them fester.  
She looked around and this room was quite different than regular rooms, it was bigger for one, with lots of extra space for family to visit she saw all kinds of infant equipment and the walls were covered with soft drawing to create a soothing atmosphere for a baby rather than bright colors for children. She came to terms with everything and just sat back, still tired and a little sore from the endeavor but glad it was over nonetheless.  
It was a while before she saw anyone and she was starting to get bored but enjoying the quiet. Eventually a nurse came in and once she saw that Katie was awake, several staff members had come in to check on her and make sure everything was going good. Katie was still weak, she wasn't tired but her muscles were sore and her extremities felt heavy. Dr. Geng had since gone off duty and another doctor had taken his place, Katie was uncomfortable with the doctor switch but there wasn't anything she could do about it. After the nurses conferred with the new doctor about her condition, Katie was given some pain medication to ease the muscles and the pain she had been feeling. She needed a few stitches once she was done and Dr. Geng had fixed her up quickly and the nurses prepared her for recovery, where she awoke several hours later. Katie knew a lot about giving birth after taking it in school and it came to no surprise that she needed stitches although she of course wished she didn't need them. She dozed off after an hour and woke up later to see her surrounded by several people with balloons, flowers, cards and gifts.  
They stayed quiet as she came to; they had been there for a while now anyway. All their gifts adorned the window sill and her bed and many were doing their own thing in the chairs supplied by staff. Carlos was the first to notice her stir; he was sitting right by her bed, playing a game on his phone when he saw her twitch. He called it to everyone's attention and they waited as she began to move more; Kendall and Logan got up to greet her. She smiled at Carlos, the first person she saw; she remembered him holding her hand and coaching her through it all and here he was, still by her side after everything. She owed him big time and she didn't know how to begin to repay him.  
Kendall and Logan both greeted her next, giving her hugs and kind words and smiles. Kendall brought her a giant stuffed German Shepherd dog that was custom made to look just like her dog Shadow who was back home.  
"The 3 of us, pitched in and got you this." Kendall said. Katie had no words to describe what she felt and just grabbed the dog and held it forever as she let the tears flow into the faux fur. Nate was there as well as a few staff members that worked with Katie: Susan, Dave, Allison, Jake, and others. No other Network stars were present, everything had gone smoothly thus far to keep things under wraps and they hoped it would stay that way.  
"I woke up this morning, thinking that I had dreamt all this but I guess it's real, huh?"  
"Yeah…It is. But we're here for you."  
"You gave birth to twins and I'm sure they are beautiful just like you. No one has seen them yet, we figured you deserved the first glimpse."  
"that's right, but because there are so many of us, we have to go to the nursery to see them."  
"Or at least one. The girl is still in the NICU last I heard." Carlos added.  
"She's doing well though." A nurse interrupted "She's responding well to stimuli and has quite the set of lungs. No colic though, just being bratty; she's definitely a fighter. She'll be in the NICU for another couple days though, but you are welcome to see your son in the nursery if you'd like."  
Katie nodded in agreement and waited as the nurse left to get a wheelchair. Her guests cleared a path for her and Nate helped the nurse get Katie into the chair with no problem and she was wheeled to the nursery with everyone in tow. She parked Katie in front of the large window and everyone gathered around, and the nurse went inside to talk with the attendant. The attendant looked through her records really quick before she went down a row and looked at the basket's info cards before picking up a small bundle wrapped in a blue blanket and donning a blue knit cap. He was tinier than the other babies but he moved much more than the others. He was full of life and smiles as soon as his and Katie's eyes met; it was like an instant connection, he immediately recognized his mother. He was quite intelligent and alert. Pictures flashed and everyone waved as they cooed at the beautiful sight before them. They only had a few minutes before he had to be put back and Katie was returned to her room.  
Katie was filled with glee at the sight and all of her problems and pains seemed to have vanished for the time being. She was excited and full of energy as she laughed and joked with her friends. Carlos, Logan and Kendall stayed until visiting hours ended but the others had long since left. They had a lot fun spending the day together just talking about everything and anything just like old times. They were asked if they would be staying the night by staff and they wanted too but their agents and Nate refused in order to let Katie get her rest. She was staying for a few days and they could see her in the morning.  
Katie was recuperating nicely in the maternity ward and after a few days was released but on strict bed rest until she was strong enough to go about daily duties. Katie was moving in with Kendall and his family again now that his brother went back to school. Kendall's family and Katie were quite close and got along very well. Everybody greeted her with open arms and Mrs Knight took a good look at the new baby boy she would be caring for before she took him from Kendall.  
"Mom, he's not your grandchild!"  
"He's like one, to me." She said to Kendall before turning back to the baby. "I'm going to take good care of you and spoil you to no end! Yes I am!" She cooed. Kendall rolled his eyes and Helped Katie in as he called for his brother, Henry to take her bags to Isaac's room. Kendall got her settled and shortly after Henry arrived with her things and gave her a hug.  
"You rest, while I try to pry your son, from my mom."  
"Let her have her fun, Kendall. I'm sure she's going to take good care of him. She raised you and your 2 brothers after all, and you can be a handful sometimes." she teased.  
"He's still a pain in the ass." Henry added with a chuckle.  
"Shut up, dill-hole." Kendall retorted. "You rest up and we'll take care of everything for you. Anything special you'd like for lunch?"  
"I could really go for some chicken soup."  
"You got it." he said before leaving to get it started. Henry grabbed her laptop, a book and a few other items for her before he was called by Mrs. Knight.  
After a week, Katie was up and around and she and Kendall drove back to the hospital to pick up her the other twin who had received a clean bill of health. She signed all the documents and were back him within the hour. They were greeted by Mr. Knight who took the baby from Katie; Mrs. Knight had fun with the boy, who Katie had named Kenneth Garrett after her grandfather and father, so Mr. Knight took to the baby girl.  
"What did you put on the birth certificate? Did you decide a name?" he asked with earnest as he coddled the baby with care. Katie paused as Henry and Kendall both focused on the baby in Mr/ Knight's arms.  
"Jayme Brooke." she finally said. She was met with stared all around as the familiar yet different name caught their attention. "It has a special ring to it. I liked the name Brooke and I couldn't think of anything else that sounded as nice."  
"It's a nice name." Kendall said, trying to be supportive, but truth be told, he had a hard time swallowing the name. It felt like she was named after James and although Katie was distant and disgusted with James, he had a feeling that she missed him a little bit. Regardless, the baby girl was treated just as well as her brother, and became an adopted part of the Knight family.  
After being house bond for 5 weeks, Katie finally ventured outdoors past the Knight house and did a little shopping with Kendall at her side. She had regained her figure and looked normal. The twins were left at home in the care of Kendall's family who had helped greatly. Katie had strong motherly instincts but taking care of 2 babies just wasn't in her nor did she know how to go about it. Katie wasn't healthy enough to care for twins and she took a little longer to regain her strength to keep tabs on 2 newborns. She tired easily and was being weaned off several medications.  
Being seen in public for the first time naturally caught the attention of the paparazzi and questions began to arise if they were dating which the networked quickly dismissed explaining that Katie was really close with all the Knights and to prove it she was told to be seen with several family members and she did. Questions also started popping up about why BTR hasn't been on tour or doing interviews or photo-shoots. It wasn't long before avid fans and paparazzi stalkers established that James appeared to be MIA but since no one could find any actual answers and his twitter was updated occasionally, many thought that there was just an extremely long break or some sort of legal thing regarding the show was going on.  
As the weeks merged to months, they were still at a loss of what was going to happen. Their paychecks had been cut since they weren't really doing any work so to speak and received a cut of merchandise sales which had been dwindling. Everyone hoped for some sort of miracle that they could continue the show but it had been over a year since they heard or even saw James. He wouldn't respond to calls to his agent or his tweets; his checks had begun to dwindle and came sporadically. It wasn't looking good for the cast or the band and they had begun to lose hope as it became a reality the their life's dream was coming to an end right before their eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

***AN* Final chapter. Working on an epilogue that explains James' side of the story briefly: his thoughts and feeling before after and during this whole fiasco. I have the end set in my head but I need something to work towards it and I'm not sure of it yet. I tried to space out the paragraphs a little more, apparently it can be hard to read to a few people. I have it spaced out on my computer as well as all the proper bolding/italicizing etc but uploading it here, it tends to loose its format and I am just to lazy or pressed for time to fix it twice when uploading. Hopefully this is better but dont get used to it, I cant guarantee that i can keep this up. I also hope my other stories will be a little shorter.***

As network staff worked grueling hours to come up with ideas for the future of BTR, the 3 remaining guys and Katie held their breaths for a miracle. Staff finally came up with offering it up to the public. James was gone and there was no getting him back; he had come out on TV in another show and it was obvious that he was no longer associated with BTR. The network offered a pole for Rushers to vote on whether to continue the show without James, replace James or cancel the show.

Questions rose on why James was gone but they went unanswered; the network nor the remaining party had any answers to give. The pole remained open for only a week and over whelming response caused the site to crash several times as they voted furiously. The answer was clear that fans wanted BTR to continue but whether to replace the missing member or not was voted to a tie. There were a few fans who resented the option to even continue on without James but the guys came out in an interview saying despite the loss of their best friend they would like to hold up to the promise that they made at the beginning to go as far as it took them. It would be different for sure but they would leave it up to the fans on whether or not they would continue. They made the show and the music for the fans and thought it was only fitting to let them make the choice.

A grueling interview and audition process had already been in the making shortly after James announced his resignation for a new member. Judges tried to find not only a look alike but some one who could sing, act and dance as well as someone who could get along and mesh with the other members but yet had his own unique look. Unsure if the change would fly at all, both males and females were auditioned and when they were finally picked out, would be thrown into the show as a guest before making the move to the band based on fan response.

Another season was filmed as soon as everything was put together. The filming went off without a hitch and the premier episode had a very large viewer count; nearly as much as the original pilot several years ago. Since the pilot had nearly 7 million viewers, the remaining episodes dwindled to about 3.5 million each. James didn't premier in any of the episodes to show that he quit but maybe the new season would draw him out enough where he would be interested in shooting a small part. The promos for the new season were shot like a crime drama or movie trailer as they faded between pictures of Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan as well as using a mix of old footage for James' parts and new footage from the upcoming season:

_"4 boys. 1 dream. As they start their musical journey they come across many obstacles along the way but get through them together. But what happens when they face the most difficult challenge of all?"_  
"We can get through this…together" Kendall said  
"This time it's different; you cant be sure." James said  
"If we trust in each other and don't turn our backs on our friends then we can handle this." Logan said  
"I cant do this anymore. I'm done" James said  
"That's it? You're going to walk out on your friends and a lifetime of friendships?" Kendall said  
"What choice do I have!" Carlos yelled  
"This is what makes or breaks us as a band. We need to stand up and make a decision; do we want this?" Logan asked  
_"Can they overcome it like always or is this the end of Big Time Rush as they know it? Are they prepared to give up the dream of a lifetime?"_  
"Is this what it has all come to? This isn't like you guys at all, you can't just give up and quit. There's got to be something worth fighting for." Katie said  
"Not this time, we've reached the end and there's nothing left to hold onto." Carlos said.  
_"Who stays, and who goes? And is there anything that can stop them? Find out on the brand new season of Big Time Rush premiering Saturday June 12th at 8pm EST. Only on Network TV."_

Forums and fan sites erupted with the news of the new season and there was a lot of hype and anticipation. Media from all over the country wanted interviews but since they were in the middle of filming, they waited until at least the first episode aired so there would be a clear indication of what was going on and reporters wouldn't pester them about the show. They didn't have a story yet as to James resignation and didn't know how to go about it.

The season didn't premier until they had finished shooting the entire season. They wrapped up early and everything was set to go, the first episode was finished in production and ready to air. Two weeks still remained and another promo had aired as well. After being cooped up together for a few months they went on their own vacations. Katie was really home sick and hadn't been home in over 2 years now. She wanted to see her family but she couldn't bear the shame of coming home with the twins.

"Katie, arent you going to fly home?" Kendall asked. He was walking by her room with his suitcase; he was leaving tomorrow afternoon for Hawaii. He noticed that she wasn't packed at all and all her things were strewn about the room.  
"I really want to, I havent been home in 2 years but I cant go back now. I cant afford to travel with two kids nor can I face my parents with them."  
"Don't you think they love you no matter what?" he asked as he sat on the bed.  
"I cant be sure on that. I mean they way they act it would seem like they really would love me no matter what but at the same time their principles can be backwards and they may just take the kids and boot me out. At least they would be cared for though but then what am I to do? Either way they would make me quit or take my money, leaving me with nothing to survive or travel on." she explained sitting next to him.  
"I know it's a stretch but maybe my parents could care for the twins while you fly back." Kendall suggested  
"It's a thought but I cant ask them that, I'm staying in your house rent free as it is. Your mom has taught and helped me so much as it is; I couldn't ask her for something that big." She concluded  
"Then I will." Kendall said as he stood.  
"No, Kendall, don't do that!" She replied  
"I'm not going to take no for an answer, you need, no deserve a vacation just like the rest of us and you are going to get one!" he argued  
"But Kendall-" She pleaded  
"Mom!" he called out, not listening to Katie. He got up and called again. "Mom!"  
"In the kitchen, Kendy!" she replied. He followed her voice to the kitchen, Katie not far behind.  
"Kendall! Stop, don't do this!" she continued  
"Kendall Francis Knight, are you causing trouble?" she said sternly  
"Yes he is!" Katie said quickly  
"I am not!" he protested "Mom, can you care for the twins for a week, Katie needs to fly home to see her family, it's been two years. She deserves a vacation."  
"Kendall! I said not to bother." she said trying to distract him  
"And I said, I wasn't taking no for an answer."  
"Ken-"  
"No!" he silenced her  
"Of course I'll take care of the little bundles. You've been through so much, its only fair you get to see your own family every now and then." Mrs. Knight smiled  
"Yes!" Kendall cheered "told you! Now go get packed, you're leaving ASAP." he said as he pushed her to her room.  
Mr. Knight drove them both to the airport where they hung out together for a little while before parting ways.  
"I'll see you in a week, then." Kendall said.

"I'll pick you both up when your planes come in." Mr. Knight assured. He left them and the two went to their respective gates after they said their goodbyes. Kendall would be in Hawaii in a matter of hours while Katie had to fly across the country and with the time zones it would be almost 3 times as long. She was welcomed home with open arms and her parents were thrilled to see her; tears, hugs and laughs were shared as well as many questions asked. She had kept up with her parents while in LA but they only knew of what they could see on TV or read in the magazines. They had no idea how to use a computer so it shielded them from much of the discussions being held. She answered as many questions as she could and avoided ones that she didn't want to answer but just saying she didn't know. She had a way of lying to make it look real and could test the waters so to speak on what they may or may not know and go from there.

"How has life been treating you so far in LA?" her mom asked  
"Not too bad actually, I'm far from living the star lifestyle though." Katie replied  
"Any boyfriend?" her mom continued  
"No." came Katie's reply  
"The magazine's said it was Kendall." her mom said  
"It's not, we just went shopping together…I swear." she said  
"Its ok, even if you did have a boyfriend we wouldn't mind as long as he wasn't after your money." her mom assured  
"What money? You guys take it all!" She joked  
"We're saving it for you so you don't spend it all!" her mother said.  
"I don't have enough to live on! I'm living with Kendall and his family. I have just enough to pay for food and that's it. I live on the lot whenever I can but if we arent filming then I cant stay there. You think its easy to live out there and want me to do all these things to save money when in fact its just getting me into trouble. I could lose my job and I'll be right back where I started with you down my throat telling me to get a job." she said starting to get loud.  
"I don't approve living with a boy." her father said flatly  
"I don't have any other option! Did you not hear me? You don't give me enough money; you take my whole check!" she argued  
"You don't give me enough to pay the bills/" he said  
"What! You've been spending all of the money you've taken from me? What the hell? You had no right!" she yelled  
"Until you live on your own any income goes to the house." he rebutted  
"…WHAT THE FUCK HAVE I BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS? I've been living in LA with no help from you; you just have my checks forwarded to yourselves and I get NOTHING to live on." she paused. "You know what I'm moving out."  
"How are you going to afford to do that?"  
"I'll take my next check-"  
"You don't get your checks until you move out."  
"Then how am I supposed to move out?"  
"that's your problem."  
"This is such a joke. You just don't want me to move out so you can have your little slave do everything for you. You'll have someone to make you look good; but not anymore. As soon as my flight plans come from the network I'm out of here for good. I'm tired of the double standards and the bullshit."  
"Then I wont take my pills anymore. I cant afford them and I don't want to live." her dad said

"Funny how you can always afford them when I'm the well behaved, never questioning drone you created or when you didn't have my paycheck coming in every week." she said. "That's right I just called you out on it. I can see through all your rouses. I've had enough, it's not fair to me; ever since I turned 18 you had this leash on me and you wont take it off and as I get older the leash gets shorter. The closer you keep me, the more I resent you; let me live a little and then we could have been best friends." she said as she went upstairs.

Her mother came upstairs later to talk to her. Overall her relationship with her parents was great, they had a lot of good times but it was times like these that she felt so alone and outcast. There were so many double standards in her house and they had only gotten worse and more abundant as she got older. She couldn't imagine life without her parents since she had little to no friends but there were so many times that she just wanted to leave but she was forced to stay.  
She had a long talk with her mom; they talked about everything and anything. The conversation ended up talking about how she was living with Kendall and then that lead to joking and serious conversation.

"Kendall's a looker isn't he?" her mom blurted out.  
"Oh yeah, even before I landed the role he was cute, his hips don't lie and they move like nothing I've seen." she cooed  
"Grand children!" her mom exclaimed  
"Hold on, I have way to much to do first. I have to finish school, tour the world and film the show. I'm on a kids network remember, cant go around being pregnant." she explained  
"I know. Just know that no matter what your father may say, you can always live here with us. I'm glad a had a girl, that way I can always seen my grandchildren if something did happen. Having a boy there's a chance the girl could run off and I'd hate that to happen. I'd care for you and the child so you can continue to work or whatever you want to do." her mom said  
"Saying that and meaning it are two different things though." Katie said  
"But I do mean it." her mom assured  
"We'll see. If that time ever rolled around, I'll see just how well this 'promise' holds up." she stated.

The rest of her time at home was spent in harmony; she was going to spend nearly 2 weeks at home before she had to fly back out to LA for the premier episode of the new season without James. Katie spent a lot of time just thinking about her future regarding the show and her new life with children. She also thought about what her mom had said and wondered if it was really true. She figured she would wait until the last moment to spring it on her parents; she'd make sure that there were no other options. She spent a lot of her time at home in her room, cleaning to doing other work to distress like reading, drawing or writing stories, it was one way she could get all of her anger and frustration out and also be creative too. She also made a well received visit to the Academy where she was deeply missed; even though she no longer lived in CT for the time being, she still made a huge impact. During free time she would sometimes be called upon to teach or observe a class over Skype or even create a new power point or worksheet for a class.

Co-workers and students alike asked numerous questions about her work in LA and she told them what she could without divulging too much. Many had become fans of the show and saw the promos for the new season and tried to get answers out of her. She debunked rumors, gave a few updates and what not before doing a little work and guest taught a class before heading home. Soon enough it was time to go back to LA. The new season premiered in 3 days and there was work that had to be done at the studio and meetings to attend. She packed up her things gave a heartfelt goodbye to her parents and waited outside for her pick-up to take her to the airport. The plane ride was going to be shorter time difference going back but she still just browsed the internet as she flew across the country.

She stumbled upon James' new show that he was starring in; it was called Forever Young. She hadn't done much research on it but it intrigued her. James played one of 7 main teenagers although his character was more mature than the others but it still didn't stop him from getting involved with the crazy or troubling antics of his group mates. In a way it was similar to his character on Big Time Rush but at the same time it was the opposite. She managed to find a show online and watched a few clips; it wasn't too bad but she had mixed feelings about everything. Seeing James again after so long made her upset in more ways the one. He had changed a lot, he was a bit more muscular and kept a 5 o' clock shadow. She did more research on what ever she could find and in the hours that she was on the plane, didn't come up with much.

The pilot came over the speaker and announced that they would be landing shortly. Katie saved what work she had and marked the pages she was on so she could get to them later before turning off her computer and putting it in her carry on. Once the plane landed and she got off she stretched her legs for a little bit and got something to drink before retrieving her bags. The flight was packed surprisingly enough and bags were coming out of the shoot for several minutes before even one of hers showed up. She grabbed it off the belt and moved to the side so the other passengers could get theirs.

She made her way to an empty bench that wasn't far off from baggage claim and got back on her computer. She opened her suitcase to check its contents and was relieved when she spotted her notebook and pencil; it was what she wanted. She placed her laptop on the bench next to her and turned to the side as she worked and then began writing.

She was deep in thought before a security guard caught her attention. They had been warned of a celebrity's presence and were entrusted with keeping crowd control but Katie hadn't followed protocol and was in the middle of the terminal. Katie wasn't really thinking about her safety, she was more focused on learning what she could about James' new job. She wasn't even all that popular and felt she wouldn't be a threat but security felt different. She was ushered to a private section to wait for her ride, which was a little late.

After 20 minutes, Mr. Knight rushed to the terminal desk and asked for Katie; he was escorted inside and there she sat working away. He greeted her and she was happy to see him. After a quick hello and explanation and apology on being late, they were ready to go and picked-up the rest of her bags and packed them in the car before heading back to the Knight's house.

A few days later they all gathered in the large meeting room where they watched the premier episode of the season as well as watch the ratings. In the first 5 minutes the ratings climbed to a high of about 4.7 million before it began to drop off significantly. They enjoyed the show nonetheless and waited until it was over to read the final count. The numbers were all over at the highest, the show reached 5 million before ending with a count of 3.8 million. It was enough to keep going but they still wanted to see the feedback from fans.

After a week of stress, anticipation and fear by the group they were called back to be told the numbers and what their futures hold. The network decided that the ratings were enough to keep them going for now and signed them to another season, however touring had to be put on hold for a while until they could figure out where they were going to go from here. The news was a great relief to all and they celebrated with hugs and high fives all around. They may not have been completely out of the woods just yet, but it was a start in the right direction. Big Time Rush would never be the same without James and they did feel guilty for continuing on without him but they did it in his memories. As time passed, they never fully forgave him for what he did and they never heard from him again.


	7. Epilogue

_***AN* Epilogue. Its short and not very detailed but I kind of like the way it ended. I wish I had more detail but I figured i covered most of the questions that may have arose during the course of this story. I actually wrote the epilogue 3 times and this was the final version. This one is finished and now on to the next story. I may write regular fiction and post on FictionPress instead and take a break from fan fiction. I have many ideas in my notebook for both FF and FP so dont think that I am done just yet.***_

James was sitting in his dressing room during an extended break when mail call rolled around. He loved opening mail although he never got to respond to most of it. Although he had become a bit of a diva he still remained down to earth because of his fans. With anticipation he dove right into the box and pulled out a handful of letters. He shuffled them into a pile in his lap before picking up the first one; a plain envelope with no return address and a printed label. Inside was a lone SD card wrapped in paper. He put the card into his computer and only one file was on it; a photo. He clicked it and was shocked but at the same time relieved at his findings.

The picture was a family portrait of Katie and her parents as well as the twins he had fathered. He had no idea she had twins, he knew nothing of the pregnancy or birth and didn't want to but upon seeing the picture, he was glad he had it. It was too late for him to go back to the studio or show an interest in his children but at least he had a picture. He was happy knowing that her family accepted her and that she wasn't on the streets. He wondered if anybody knew what really happened all those years ago.  
A knock on the door from one of the set hands, Frank, caught James off guard.  
"James, you're needed on set in 20 minutes."  
"Ok, I'll be there soon." James replied. He heard Frank walk away and worked on his computer for a minute as he fiddled with the picture; he made it his backdrop on his laptop and tried adding some text to the photo but couldn't quite find the words he wanted. Another knock brought James back to reality for a moment as Frank urged him out. James followed him to hair and make-up as they hurried along.  
"What took you so long? That's not like you." Frank asked  
"I was just working on something on my computer." James replied  
"Oh, anything special or were you doing a web chat?" Frank guessed  
"Just a little family project" he said with a smile. "It's long overdue."


End file.
